Peninsular India's plateau has a complex system of geological features. It contains some of the world's oldest rocks from the Precambrian period (Archaean) as well as the youngest rocks from the Holocene epoch (Quaternary/recent period). In the following section, the primary rock systems found in Peninsular India are briefly described:

1. The Archaean Group:

The Archaean System includes gneisses from Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiris, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mikir, Bundelkhand (UP), and the Aravallis (Rajasthan). The Eastern Ghats are home to the Bengal gneiss known as Khonodolite. Metallic and non-metallic minerals, valuable stones, and building materials abound in these rocks.

2. The Dharwar System:

These are the oldest metamorphosed-sedimentary rocks found in the Archaean gneiss's narrow geosynclines. They are mostly found in--------------

• Dharwar, Bellary and Hospet districts of Karnataka,
• the Chhotanagpur Plateau,
• the upper reaches of Godavari (Durg, Bastar, Dantewala, Chandrapur, etc.), and
• the Aravallis (Delhi, Rajasthan and Gujarat)

The majority of the Dharwar rocks are thought to have escaped total folding and deposited in the hollows and corrugations of landmasses, or were very weakly folded. Iron ore, manganese, mica, copper, zinc, lead, silver, gold, slate, asbestos, marble, and limestone are all abundant in these rocks.

3. The Cuddaph System:

The Cuddapah formations (Andhra Pradesh) are found in the deep basins of-------------

• the lower valleys of Penganga and Godavari,
• the Talcher Series between Mahanadi and Brahmani (Odisha), the upper courses of the Narmada and Son rivers, and
• the west of Aravallis near Jodhpur.

Building materials, such as shales, limestone, and sandstone, abound in these rocks. These rocks also include some low-quality iron ore, manganese, copper, and asbestos.

4. The Vindhyan System:

The Vindyan Mountains, also known as the Central Indian Highlands, cover a wide basin that stretches from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh to Bihar's Sasaram and Dehri-on-Son. It has a branch that runs from Sasaram to Hoshingabad (Madhya Pradesh). It covers a region of nearly one lakh square kilometres, ranging from the Chambal to the Son Rivers. In the Baster district of Chhattisgarh, there are few isolated exposures of sedimentary rocks. Diamond-bearing conglomerates have been discovered in some of the Vindhyan System's exposures. Diamond manufacturing is well-known in Madhya Pradesh's Panna District and Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool District. The Deccan Traps encompass the higher Vindhyans also in the south. Vindhyans are noted for their high-quality construction materials. They are abundant in ornamental stones, valuable stones, diamonds, and ceremic materials. The red-sandstones collected from the Vindhyan Ranges were used to construct historical structures and grand holy destinations such as the Stupa of Sanchi, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort, Jama-Masjid, Birla Mundir, and others.

5. Gondwana System:

Peninsular India's coal seams emerged during the Gondwana (Carboniferous) Period. The Talcher, Damudar, and Panchet series were all created during this time period. In the Damodar, Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna river basins, rocks from the Upper Carboniferous Period, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, and other periods have been preserved.

6. The Deccan Trap:

The Cretaceous System is a highly widespread system in the United States. The Gondwananland developed fissures, and its broken pieces began to drift apart. The Deccan Trap was formed by a large-scale upheaval of lava (basalt) from the Earth's interior. The kind of lava eruption was Hawaiian or fissure. The sea transgression (Narmada Valley and Coromandel Coast) and the outpouring of massive amounts of basalt that formed the Deccan Trap characterise this time. There had been plutonic rock instrusions, such as gabbro and granite. The basalt from the Deccan Trap is used to create roads and structures. The Deccan Plateau's lava deposits also contain quartzites, agates, and carnelians.

7. The Tertiary System:

During the Tertiary Period, Gondwana's final disintegration occurred. The Peninsula has been faulted, and the shattered blocks beneath the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal have been subsiding. Tertiary rocks can be found in Gujarat's Kathiawar and Kachchh, Rajasthan's Laki Series, and along the Coromandel and Malabar coasts. They are located in the Meghalaya Plateau, in the Jaintia Series, in the north-east.

8. The Pleistocene Period:

Lower reaches and deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery rivers, as well as the Western Coastal Plains of Gujarat, Konkan, and Malabar, contain Pleistocene deposits. These deposits, however, are more prominent along India's eastern coast.